


Seared In My Skin

by H3avydirtysoul



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alive Cole Anderson, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Getting Together, Human Connor (Detroit: Become Human), M/M, Mild Smut, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, cole is one of us, hank and connor are soulmates, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 15:16:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18662995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/H3avydirtysoul/pseuds/H3avydirtysoul
Summary: For Hank, soulmates are bullshit. So he's obviously worried when Connor, his brother-in-law, tells him that a soulmate tattoo appeared on Cole's body.“I had no idea it was gonna show, so I never talked to you about this.” Hank's tone was serious and it made Connor nervous.“Hank, you're scaring me.”“It's just that... I don't want him having his hopes up.”“His hopes up?”“Yeah. About this whole soulmate thing. I was... I was hopeful once and it hurt. I don't want him to feel the same way I did.”





	Seared In My Skin

**Author's Note:**

> Hey. Again.  
> This fanfic was written more than a month ago and was just waiting for me to finish that last bit that was missing. This also took more time proofreading and retouching than actually writing. Like what the fuck.  
> I hope that this is a fanfic you'll love if you're into the whole soulmate thing. Or otherwise. I just hope you like it, really.  
> Cole is the sweetest, by the way. You've been warned.  
> Enjoy.

~~~~How did the universe got to decide who one was to spend their lives with?

To be happy with?

Was it random or was there more to it?

These were the questions that had always bugged Hank. Ever since he was old enough to understand the concept of soulmate. His mom had always told him there was someone out there meant for him. And Hank would be absolutely radiant about that prospect. Young Hank would spend a decent amount of time of his days imagining what his soulmate would look like.

But he couldn't help but feel a little bit sad because most of the kids at school had their tattoos already. They were six and seven years old.

Oh, yes.

The soulmate tattoos.

Some people are born with them. Some people get them when they're older. To better explain it, people get their tattoos when their soulmate is born. Of course that if your soulmate has already come to exist when you're born you already have the same tattoo inked somewhere on your body. But your soulmate will only get it once you're born. Most people that weren't born with theirs usually got them before ten.

But not Hank. And it frustrated him to no end, to know that, after all, there wasn't anyone special out there for him. He was plain normal, right? No kid his age existed without a tattoo. Only him. Or maybe he was the special one, since not having a soulmate was the exception, not the norm.

As years went by, he only came to hate the very notion of soulmates more and more, even if he said that he didn't care and called it all the biggest bullshit the universe had ever created. He would even go as far as stating that he was glad he didn't have one, even if, deep down, he was still that bright kid, wishing for his own special tattoo to appear.

Never, ever had he thought that a tattoo would appear later in his life. But that wasn't really what scared him when it happened.

He was twenty-three at the time and finishing his bachelor degree in Law Enforcement, in Detroit, where he'd been born and raised. It was a morning like so many others. He jumped off the bed after snoozing his alarm a million times, when he could no longer postpone the inevitable. He went to the bathroom and stripped, getting in the shower. Long gone were the days where he'd frantically search his body for his tattoo. Long fucking gone indeed. As it turned out, he didn't even need to look much for it. It was right there, in plain sight.

“What the fuck...?” He let out, squinting his eyes at his own reflection in the mirror after he got out of the shower. He lifted a hand and touched the left side of his chest, just below his collarbone. There was a triangle there, with an extra stripe on one of the sides, inked on his skin. When his fingers brushed the inked spot, pulled his hand away immediately, as if it burned. “This is not possible... No fucking way.”

It wasn't the fact that he'd just gotten his soulmate tattoo, after all hope seemed to have been lost, that left him speechless.

It was the fact that his soulmate had just been born.

Hank skipped college that day. He wasn't feeling good and he needed the time to think and come to a conclusion. He did a lot of thinking and he ended up deciding it was best to forget that that tattoo existed. No way things were gonna play out for him. He wasn't like that, he could never... His soulmate was a baby. He was an adult. It wasn't gonna happen.

With that in mind, he removed the tattoo. People getting rid of their soulmate tattoos wasn't unheard of. In fact, it was pretty common. No one that had lost their soulmate wanted a painful reminder of them, so many people removed their tattoos after the passing of their soulmate. Less common, however, was removing the tattoo just because. But if he wanted to forget he even had a soulmate, it was nobody's business but his. He didn't need any of this.

Fast forward twenty years. Hank had never been great in relationships, what with being focused on his career, but it all paid off when he became the youngest Lieutenant in Detroit's Police history. A little after that, he met a woman named Ellen, who, a year later, became his wife. Marriage had been something that she had wanted and he ended up tagging along.

A few months went by and they were living a happy life. Hank felt comfortable with the life he led, but there was something missing. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but he wasn't entirely happy. So they started talking about babies. Hank had always wanted to be a father. Ellen couldn't say the same as for being a mother.

The moment Ellen told Hank she was pregnant was the happiest of his life. He even cried. The idea of having a child had been a little bit like the one of having a soulmate. It died a little more every day, until he got together with Ellen, that was.

Something else happened on that day.

They were in the room and Hank was changing into his pajamas. Ellen was reading a book, her back resting against the headboard. She put the book down for a while, looking at her husband undress. Her eyes suddenly narrowed.

"What the fuck is that?" She asked, her voice pitching. She sounded as if she'd just seen the impossible. Hank stared at her.

"What? What's what?" He asked, an eyebrow arched, his voice laced with a mix of concern and confusion.

"That on your chest. That tattoo."

"The fuck?" He looked down and then turned around to face the mirror. And there it was. A triangle with an extra stripe on one of the sides. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"You told me you didn't have a soulmate. What the fuck does that mean?"

"I... I don't know. I mean..."

"Does this mean your soulmate was born today? Hank, you're forty-four!” She pointed out, unnecessarily.

"No! That's ridiculous and not possible."

"So? That tattoo wasn't there yesterday." Ellen pressed. She stood up and approached him, to have a better look at the tattoo.

"I got it removed a long time ago... I don't know why it appeared again just now."

"Oh. So you have a soulmate but, what? It never occurred to you that maybe you should tell me that?"

Hank sighed heavily and held one of Ellen's hands, motioning her to sit down on the bed with him.

"Look, I don't care about it, okay? Soulmates are bullshit and you know very well my opinion on this, right? I don't want them. This... This tattoo means nothing.”

"It seems that you've met them today, though. So what's stopping the universe from making you two meet again, huh?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"If you remove a soulmate tattoo, it will appear once again when you meet them for the first time." She told him, her eyes still narrowed and hot with anger. Apparently, nothing that Hank could say would appease her.

Hank's lips were parted as he stared at her, surprised. He didn't know this, so it took him some time to process and try to figure out what it meant for him.

“Uh... Okay, but that doesn't mean shit. I met a lot of people today, I don't even remember most of them. It could be anyone, but I don't care.” He said, reassuring her. He reached out a hand and caressed her belly. “We're gonna have a baby. I've got you. I wish for nothing more.”

She didn't look totally convinced, but nodded, leaning forward and placing a kiss on his lips.

* * *

Nine months later, a baby boy was born. They named him Cole and Hank swore to never let anything bad happen to him and to always fight for his son's happiness. No one would ever be more important than Cole. The baby was the sweetest. After the first months, he almost never cried and smiled a lot at his mom and dad. Ellen spend her days with the baby, but Hank wished every day for his workday to be over quickly so that he could go home and be with his family.

One day, Hank and Ellen went out for breakfast with the baby to the place where Hank usually grabbed his coffee before work. They walked into the establishment – a coffee shop downtown named _Coffee Time_ and which Hank claimed had the best donuts in Detroit _–_ and walked up to the counter to order.

“Ellen?” The barista asked, his brown eyes trained on the woman beside Hank.

The detective looked at his wife and then back at the barista.

“You guys know each other?” He asked, arching an eyebrow at the young man behind the counter, who remained silent, waiting for the woman to give some sort of explanation. Whatever made her sleep at night.

“This is Connor, my step-brother.” Ellen said, short and cold.

Connor gave Hank a small smile.

“I had no idea you were married to my sister.” The young man said, his cheeks suddenly tainted pink. He felt embarrassed. He never talked with his sister, not for lack of trying, but still... He thought he should've known this. And he pretty much saw the man who apparently was his brother-in-law every day.

“You never told me you had a brother.” Hank pointed out, looking at her. There was the faint hint of an accusation in his voice.

“Step-brother. He's the reason my dad left my mom.” She said with disdain. “I'll be at that table by the window. Don't take long.”

And she left them, taking little Cole with her.

Hank turned to face Connor again and gave him an apologetic smile.

“I'm sorry about that.”

The brunette shrugged.

“You don't have to. I've known her longer than you have, most likely. I know how she is.” Connor said, sighing. “Is it the usual for you?”

“Yes. And the same for her.”

“Right.”

He registered the order and started preparing it. His eyes would sometimes dart to the table Ellen was sitting at.

“Is that...” Connor started, trailing off, not sure if his question would be welcome. “Is that your child?”

“That's right. That's little Cole right there, your nephew.”

Connor's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Wow. That's amazing.” He said, finishing Hank's order and handing him the tray. “That's ten dollars.”

Hank smiled and handed him a twenty.

“Keep the change.”

“Thank you. Have a nice day.”

“Likewise.”

That was probably the moment everything started to go downhill. Hank hadn't been expecting an argument when he approached his wife saying it was a good idea to invite her brother for dinner, so he could meet Cole. She denied, of course, but not without yelling at him. Hank was furious, but let that pass.

But it was definitely too much when she demanded him to stop going to that coffee shop. Or when she decided to remind him that the reason she'd even had Cole was because he'd talked her into it. Hank started to get fed up with that kind of talk, so things got really nasty. Suddenly, they were arguing every day for the smallest things and one afternoon he found her gone, along with her belongings. He looked for a note, but didn't find any. He'd just come home from fetching Cole from the daycare, after work. All he could feel then was relief that she hadn't gone to the daycare and taken Cole with her. Hank didn't know what he'd do if she'd done it.

Disoriented, the only thing that occurred him was to go to Connor's workplace and ask him if maybe, just maybe, he knew where she might have gone to. But he didn't get his hopes up.

“Hey, Mr. Anderson.” Connor greeted him with a smile, his eyes then darting to Cole, who was in his father's arms. “Hey, handsome.”

“You have a minute?” Hank went straight to the point, which worried the brunette. He furrowed his eyebrows.

“I'll be out in five. Can it wait?”

Hank just nodded and stepped back, going to sit by the window. The five-minute wait seemed like an eternity to him, so he let out a deep breath when he found Connor sitting in front of him.

“What's wrong?” The young man asked, his face serious.

“It's your sister. She's gone.”

Connor shook his head and arched his eyebrows.

“Gone? Gone how?”

“Gone as in I got home today after work and she wasn't there. Neither was her stuff.”

Connor leaned back on his chair and folded his arms.

“Uh... Anyone you know she might be staying at?”

“That's what I wanted to ask you.”

“Me? I know nothing about her.”

“I called her close friends, all of them sounded surprised. We... We argued yesterday. And the day before yesterday.”

“That bad?”

“Apparently. I just... I'm so glad she didn't take him with her.” Hank's voice went soft and he wrapped his arms tighter around his son.

Connor felt his heart warm up at the display. He must have stared for too long, because Hank noticed.

“You okay?”

“Hm?” Connor forced himself back to reality.

“She's your sister.”

“Oh. Don't worry about me. We don't get along, as you may have noticed. I'm worried about you two. You're gonna be okay?”

Hank let out a sigh.

“Things haven't been great for a long time, you know? But I have him. And that's all I need to be okay. So I'll be okay, even if I have no idea how to be a single parent.”

“I wish I could be of any help, but I've never been there. Though he looks like a grown-up. He doesn't cry a lot, does he?”

Hank chuckled and Connor felt warm. He didn't know Hank in depth, but they'd been talking a lot more since they found out they were brothers-in-law. Even though apparently not anymore.

“No, he's very quiet. Behaves quite well, I must say. You wanna hold him?”

Connor seemed surprised, but his face lit up.

“Sure.” He said and reached out both hands. Hank carefully placed Cole in Connor's arms. The baby looked up at the brunette with his huge blue eyes and smiled. Connor felt very happy. “He's so beautiful, Hank... You must be very proud.”

Hank blushed a little bit.

“Yeah... I am.”

“Everything's gonna be alright, Hank. I know it will.” He said, trying to reassure the older man, who nodded and smiled.

* * *

Everything ended up turning out just fine. A year later, Hank still hadn't heard anything from Ellen, but he was managing with Connor's help, who had offered to help Hank take care of Cole. He'd leave college and fetch Cole from the daycare. He cooked the meals, gave Cole his bath every night and played with him a lot. He seemed to have unlimited stamina, what with splitting between his part-time job, college and Hank's place. A little bit after that, Hank asked Connor if he wanted to move in, after seeing how tired the boy was. Not to mention he worked to pay the bills.

“In all honesty, you barely even go home. Just move in with us, you can stay in Cole's future room for now. You're wasting money paying the rent of your apartment. You only go there to sleep and even sometimes you sleep here.”

“That's really kind of you, Hank, but I don't want to intrude. It's fine, really.”

“No, it's not. You've got dark circles, Connor. And you won't be intruding at all, where did you get that idea from? Cole and I will love to have you here.”

Connor really tried to turn the proposal down again, but Hank had very strong arguments against him and that's how Connor ended up living with Hank and Cole. The latter absolutely adored his uncle and didn't even call him such. Cole's first word had been 'dada' and he had said it to Connor, which elicited a strange feeling from the brunette. Hank had been present when it happened and laughed out loud at Connor's very surprised face. He was borderline shocked.

“What? It's perfectly normal. You spend an obscene amount of time with him and take care of him like a son. I'm not even offended.”

“But what if he grows thinking that?” Apparently, that was Connor's concern.

Hank shook his head.

“What about it? Does it bother you?”

After a moment thinking, Connor shook his head.

“No. I love him as if he was my son. But does it bother you?”

“I just told you I'm not bothered by this. The boy fucking loves you. If he thinks you're his father, that's good. I don't want him to grow up knowing his mother left without a care. That's for later. I want him to be loved and grow up knowing that his family loves him. And you do that so well.”

* * *

As time passed, the family bond grew stronger and so did Hank's affection for Connor. It would be a lie to say that he'd invited Connor to move in purely because of the boy's struggle. There had been more to that, but nobody needed to know. When Cole was old enough to sleep in his own room, the little boy and Connor shared the room. The little one liked the idea and at the time he wasn't confused by the fact that his parents didn't sleep together. He didn't have any idea of how it worked. Not until he was older, anyway.

When Cole was four years and a half, his soulmate tattoo appeared. It was a triangle with its sides all different in size. On his shoulderblade, Connor noticed when supervising his bath.

“Oh, Cole. It looks like your soulmate was born today.” He said, smiling at the boy.

“What's a soulmate, daddy?” Cole's blue eyes were full of interest.

“Well... It's someone who is destined to love you. And you to love them.” He tried to explain, not sure if it had been the best approach.

“Like I love you?” Cole asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

“No. It's... It's a grown-up thing. It's a different kind of love. You'll see when you're older.”

“But I want to know about it now. How will I know when I... when I have to love them?”

Connor chuckled at that.

“They'll have a tattoo just like yours.” He said, caressing the boy's shoulderblade. “Once you're out of the bathtub, you can have a look at it in the mirror.”

“Okay, daddy.” He said, smiling. “Am I special? Because of that tattoo.”

Connor smiled fondly at him, caressing his hair.

“You're so special, baby. But not because of that. You'd be the most special person for me even if you didn't have one. You're special because you're you.”

Cole launched himself at Connor, his arms wrapped around his daddy's neck, hugging him tightly.

“And now I'm wet.” The brunette said, hugging the little boy too and kissing his head.

“It's okay, daddy.”

“Yeah, absolutely.”

A knock on the door made them both look at it.

“Can I come in?” Hank's voice asked on the other side.

“Yes, dad!” Little Cole said, grabbing his rubber duck again and smiling brightly when his bigger dad appeared.

“How's my champion doing?” The man smiled and kissed Cole's head.

“I'm okay! Daddy told me I have a soulmate and that I'm going to love them very much but it's not like I love daddy or you. Said it's a grown-up thing. I don't really get it.” The boy looked at Connor and shrugged. Then he looked at Hank again. “Maybe it's like daddy loves you?”

Hank's eyes widened and he looked at Connor, who almost choked on his own spit.

“Is it true?” He asked, his jaw clenched.

“Yes, he's got the tattoo.” Connor replied quickly, hoping this was what Hank was referring to and not the other thing. “It's a triangle, on his shoulderblade. Look.” He added, motioning his head.

Hank leaned closer and spotted the little image on his son's skin.

“Okay. Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Yeah, sure.” Connor stood up, almost failing at doing so because his knees felt weak. He didn't want to have this conversation. Not now, not ever. “I'll be right back, Cole. Keep on playing with the duckie, yeah?”

“Yes, daddy.”

And they both left the bathroom, stopping right outside.

“I had no idea it was gonna show, so I never talked to you about this.” Hank's tone was serious and it made Connor nervous.

“Hank, you're scaring me.”

“It's just that... I don't want him having his hopes up.”

“His hopes up?”

“Yeah. About this whole soulmate thing. I was... I was hopeful once and it hurt. I don't want him to feel the same way I did.”

Connor sighed and folded his arms.

“Look, I'm sorry about Ellen, I really am, but every person is a different scenario-”

“Ellen? What are you talking about?” Hank asked, only then realizing where Connor was coming from. “She ain't my soulmate.”

The brunette furrowed his eyebrows.

“She's not?” Connor was baffled by the revelation. Did this mean that Hank didn't have one? Then maybe there was hope for him. Maybe he could make Hank fall for him. Just maybe.

“No, I do have the tattoo, but... I just never met them.” Hank said, shrugging.

_Oh._

So Hank did have a soulmate. Connor felt all hope disappear faster than it had appeared. All warmth in his chest was gone in an instant. But Hank looked so dejected that Connor wanted to hug him tight and tell him it was gonna be okay for him. That he'd meet them and they'd be very happy. Even if it meant suffering for himself. He really had hoped for a second.

“Oh... Well, even if you don't meet them, you can still be happy with someone else. You know that, right?”

At that, Hank let a self-deprecating laugh out.

“Have you looked at me?”

Connor blinked.

“Obviously. On a daily basis, I live here.”

The man arched an eyebrow but said nothing, shaking his head. Was the boy really that naïve?

“Point is, I don't want him obsessing over that soulmate crap. I don't want him to get hurt.”

“Hank, he won't. He's four, he's too young to understand. He'll dismiss this now and worry about it in the future, if so. Don't you worry about this now, okay?” Connor reached out and touched Hank's shoulder in a reassuring gesture. Hank brought his hand up to touch Connor's, but he didn't get to.

"Daddy, I wanna get out, I'm done!" They heard Cole say from inside the bathroom. Connor gave Hank one last look and entered the room to help Cole finish his bath.

* * *

The following year, Connor finished college and started working for the DPD, same precinct as Hank, who was actually the DPD's Lieutenant. Connor was finally working and earning good money, so maybe it was time to move on. Not that he wanted to, but he felt like he was a burden now.

"Hank, I've been thinking about doing some apartment hunting." He said one night, while both of them were sitting on the couch watching TV after Cole went to bed.

Hank's head shot up and his eyes fixed themselves on Connor's.

"What do you mean?" He asked, hoping he'd misheard what the brunette had said.

"Now that I'm working full time and that I don't have college tuition to worry about, I was thinking maybe it's time I get my own place. You've been so kind to me, I don't want to impose anymore."

Hank was speechless. He wasn't sure if Connor wanted to move out because he really wanted to have his own space or because he felt like a burden. Which was totally not true.

"I don't know what to say. I mean, sure, you're old enough to want your own space, but is it really the reason why you want to move out?"

"I mean, I've been imposing here for almost five years now. This is your place and you live here with Cole and I'm just-"

"Listen, you're family. And you're not imposing. Cole likes having you here. And I do too." Hank reached out a hand and grabbed Connor's, holding it. "Don't move out if you think you're doing us any good by doing so. You're not. If you want to move out, I hope it's because you want to date or something. Whatever you kids call it these days.” Hank really hoped it was not the case. He felt bad for being this selfish, but he just couldn't help it. He knew it was only a matter of time until Connor found someone. He wouldn't be around forever but Hank didn't really want to think about that just then.

Connor opened his mouth to say something - maybe say it's still called dating - but no sound came out. So he leaned closer and hugged Hank.

"Thanks, Hank." He whispered, taking a deep breath, the man's scent invading his nostrils.

"Fuck, kid. No need to thank me. I should be thanking you for helping me all these years. You didn't have to."

"You're right, I didn't. But I wanted to. Still do. Get it?" Connor said, pulling away, his brown eyes trained on Hank's intense blue ones. His arms were still around Hank's neck but the man didn't seem to mind it. His brown eyes darted to Hank's lips and then again to the man's eyes and Connor could've sworn Hank had been looking at his lips too. Both of them seemed to be far away from reality then, because next thing they know, they were on one another. A soft brush of lips, something small, barely a touch. But for Connor and Hank it was everything they hoped it would be.

Reality hit them hard and they pulled away abruptly, mumbling apologies and avoiding each other's gazes.

“Sorry. I don't know what came over me.” Connor said first, faking it perfectly. He was hysterical on the inside, but managed to look so... unperturbed on the outside.

Hank raised his hand and shook his head.

“No, don't apologize. I was the one who... Yeah, I'm sorry.” The older man wasn't so lucky and couldn't hide how worked up he was. He wasn't dreaming, was he? They'd kissed, right? He wanted to take a hand to his lips and touch them in hopes he could replay the kiss as vividly as possible.

They remained quiet for a while, each one alone with their own thoughts. Their very loud thoughts.

After a few minutes, Connor stood up.

“I'm going to bed now. Good night, Hank.” The brunette said, smiling at the man, who finally gathered the courage to look up and meet Connor's eyes.

“You too, Connor.”

* * *

It was amazing how good at ignoring the obvious they were. How willing both of them were to pretend nothing had happened.

Connor and Hank were having breakfast that morning before work. Cole was still asleep.

"Do you know what Cole asked me yesterday?”

"What?" Hank asked with a smile, before sipping from his mug. He knew it had probably been something funny, given that Cole was a very curious child and asked a lot of questions.

"He asked me why his dad and daddy didn't sleep together. Said all his friends' dads and moms slept together." Connor said, a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

Hank's eyebrows shot up on his forehead. Cole had never asked something like that.

"Well, what did you say?" He asked, expectant.

“I didn't have to say anything because you arrived in that moment and he let me off the hook.”

“You know he's not gonna let that go that easy, right? And worse, he'll come after me next.” Hank says, slapping his forehead and laughing.

“He's a kid, it's alright.”

“Shit, he probably thinks we're married. Or a couple. Imagine his surprise when you bring a date here.”

Connor's whole demeanor changed. He looked very serious all of a sudden.

“I don't plan on doing that. Ever.”

Hank frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“I don't do that. Dating.”

“One night stands, then?”

“Hank, I'm a virgin.”

That almost made Hank spit out his coffee. It was eight in the morning, definitely not the time to be having that conversation.

“Waiting for your soulmate, then?” The older man asked, deciding against commenting on the fact that Connor was a virgin at the age of twenty-five. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But he just hadn't been expecting it, was all.

Connor furrowed his eyebrows, quickly going through every conversation he ever had with Hank in his head.

“I never said I had one.”

Hank chuckled.

“Well, Cole says you have a tattoo.”

The brunette looked down and shrugged, not sure of what to say. It wasn't like he was waiting for his soulmate, he wasn't that kind of person.

“I'm not waiting for them. I've gotta focus on work and Cole. That's all that matters.”

“In the middle of all that just don't forget living, okay?”

Connor pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded.

* * *

When Cole was nine, the inevitable happened.

The three of them were having dinner one night and the boy wasn't eating much, instead just poking his food, looking rather off. Connor noticed it.

"What's wrong, Cole? You're not hungry?"

The blonde shook his head and sighed, pushing his plate away.

"Something happened at school today, Cole?" Hank tried, putting his cutlery down. Cole wasn't usually like this.

"My classmates were making fun of me because I said daddy sleeps in my room."

Connor and Hank exchanged a quick look. Connor spoke first.

"You see, Cole, parents don't always have to sleep in the same room."

"Yeah, but those are divorced. You guys are not divorced."

"Well, we're not together either." Connor all but snapped and Hank's eyes widened at that because he wasn't expecting the brunette to deliver it like that. Cole's eyes went wide as well, in shock. His mouth was open as well, in surprise.

"But I thought..." He started, pointing at his daddy. "I thought you were my daddy because you were dad's boyfriend and you also took care of me."

Connor looked at Hank again, not knowing what to say. The older man sighed and shifted in his seat.

"Look, Cole... Connor's your uncle. And he's been helping me ever since your mom left. So yes, he's your daddy. Just as much as I am. But not because we... not because we're together.”

Cole's blue eyes were now brighter than ever, as tears filled them, blurring his vision.

“Cole...”

“I... I don't believe it...” He let out, standing up and leaving the kitchen, probably for his room.

Connor sighed, his eyes on Hank again, looking as if he was about to cry.

"I can't believe I hurt him, Hank." He said, his voice shaky, his chin trembling. He took a deep breath and stood up, starting to pace around the kitchen.

"It's not your fault, Con. He'll come around. I'm gonna check on him." The older man said, standing as well. He wanted to hug the brunette but chose not to. Maybe he needed some time to let it all out as well, so he went to Cole's room and knocked.

"I don't wanna talk now, daddy." His voice came from inside the room. Hank's heart ached.

"It's me, Cole. Let dad in, please." He said, softly. For a couple of seconds, he didn't hear a sound, but soon enough the door was opening before him.

"Come in." Cole said, his eyes red. But at least he'd stopped crying, Hank noticed.

"Can dad sit on your bed?"

The boy nodded and waited for the man to do so. Once there were both sitting, Cole spoke up.

"Why aren't you and daddy together if you're soulmates?"

That question hit Hank like a punch in the gut. He felt the air thickening, making it hard for him to breathe. Either it was that or pressure in his chest.

"W-What did you say?" He asked, as if he'd misheard.

"I asked why you and daddy aren't together if you guys are soulmates. Aren't soulmates supposed to love each other? Apparently, there's no happily ever after as they used to say in kindergarten."

"What nonsense are you saying? Cole, that's not funny, okay? We're not soulmates, where the hell did you get that stupid idea from?" Hank was careful not to raise his voice too much, but he was getting a little bit agitated. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was frowning deeply now. Cole didn't like it one bit. But his dad's choice of words made something very clear for him.

"You have no idea you guys are soulmates, do you?" He asked, hope suddenly surfacing inside of him. Maybe there was a chance his dads could be together, after all!

"Cole, you're really starting to pi-"

"Language!" Cole said.

"... to annoy the fudge out of me."

"But daddy has the same tattoo."

"No, he doesn't!" Hank lost it and ended up raising his voice, but didn't quite yell.

"Yes, he does! Have you seen it? You didn't even know he had a soulmate a few years back!"

Hank pressed his lips into a thin line, tempted to believe his son. God knew how much he wanted that.

"Listen... Even if we are soulmates... What good does it do?"

"Uh..." Cole looked as if he'd just listened to the most stupid question ever. As if the answer to it was something very obvious.

"Have you looked at Connor?" Hank asked, looking at son, serious. Cole narrowed his eyes, trying to see the catch.

"Yes?"

"So you know how perfectly perfect he is, right? Young, handsome... And now look at me. Do you think we're a good match? Hm?"

Cole frowned.

"I do. And, like, have you seen the way he looks at you? The reason why I even thought you were together wasn't that you're soulmates, but because of the way you look at each other. Especially when you think nobody's watching. It makes me so happy. I'm just a kid and I don't know much about love and all that grown-up stuff, but what you two have going on without even knowing makes me feel happy."

"Cole, I can't-"

"Please, dad. Please." The boy begged, his eyes on his dad's identical ones. "I beg you. Talk to daddy. He deserves to know, too. Because if you don't... If you don't then I'll tell him the exact same thing I told you. You hear me?"

Hank exhaled and looked at his son, resigned.

"Okay, I'll talk to him. But I'm not confessing my feelings. I'll just point out that we're... Uh... Soulmates."

"I knew it! You love daddy, don't you?"

"How could I not? He's been with me for so many years... And he's a wonderful person, Cole. The best I know. I've been in love with him for years."

"Oh, gosh, you two are going to be all lovey-dovey once you guys figure this out... Gross." Cole rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yeah? So now it's gross, hm?" Hank tickled his son.

"Ah! Stop, dad! Stop!" Cole asked, laughing and trying to get away from his father's hands.

Hank stopped, smiling at his son.

"You're staying here?"

"Yeah. I wanna play a bit before bed. But I'll go give daddy a good night's kiss before bedtime."

"Alright. I'll be waiting for mine too, buddy." Hank said, before leaving the room.

He returned to the kitchen and saw Connor sitting on the couch, looking thoughtful.

"Hey, Con." He said, joining the brunette, who looked up at the older man.

"How did it go? I thought I heard him laugh."

"That you did. He's way better now." Hank said, smiling.

Connor sighed, looking relieved.

"I'm so glad. He seemed so sad, so-"

"Connor, can you show me your soulmate tattoo?" Hank cut him before the courage of asking ran out the door. That earned him a confused look from the younger man.

"I can. But what for? Did he say anything?" He asked, unbuttoning his shirt.

"Yeah... I'm not sure how you're gonna take this... Hell, I'm gambling here, I'm sure he didn't see it right, but I told him I'd say something to you."

"You're worrying me." Connor exposed the left portion of his chest, revealing the same triangle tattoo Hank had on his own chest.

"Fuck me sideways." The man let out, his eyes so focused on the pale chest they could drill holes there.

Connor could swear he felt his soul being pierced.

"What?" He asked, realization hitting him a second too late. "Oh my God. Hank, is this your tattoo?"

The man said nothing, still lost in his own thoughts.

"Hank!" Connor placed a hand on the man's shoulder and shook him violently.

"Yes, yes, it is. I'm sorry." He let out, averting his gaze to Connor's sweet, brown eyes. Even now, his eyes looked so sweet. Hank had just told him they were soulmates and his eyes didn't show any disdain, despite his bad luck.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Connor asked, his eyes wide in confusion.

"Well, you know... Out of every human being in the world, this is what the universe has in store for you... This doesn't have to mean anything, you know? I... I get it. You must be so disappointed right now..." Hank looked really dejected and Connor's heart felt tight in his chest. It pained him to hear Hank talk about himself like that. "I'm sorry."

"Hank, listen to me." Connor asked, taking a big hand with both of his. "There's nothing to be sorry for. This is a dream come true."

"What?" Now it was Hank's turn to be confused.

"I can't believe this. Show it to me."

Hank hesitated at first. He was very self-conscious about his body, especially ever since he'd fallen for a twink half his age. Connor seemed to notice his reluctance.

"You don't have to if it makes you uncomfortable." He said, squeezing Hank's hand. He took it to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of the large hand. "I'm so happy."

The older man's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't young anymore, there was only so much he could endure before going into cardiac arrest.

"Fuck, Connor... I've wanted this for so long... Can't believe it's finally happening."

Connor chuckled.

"My right hand must be ecstatic about this."

"Mine too. Wait, what? Are you serious?"

Connor blushed violently and stood up, buttoning his shirt up again.

“I'll do the dishes tonight.” He changed topics and flew to the kitchen, before Hank attempted to resume their conversation. He heard Hank laugh in the living room. That elicited a smile from him.

After Cole went to sleep, it was time for them to go to Hank's room. Connor was feeling tense. He had never been here before, he had no idea of what he was supposed to do. He only knew he wanted to make Hank happy.

“Hank, I-”

“I know. It's alright, Con.” The man approached the brunette and caressed his cheek, pressing a kiss there. Connor moaned and held Hank's face with both hands, sealing their lips together.

Before they even knew, they were both lying naked on the bed. Connor made sure Hank knew how much he treasured him, his body and his soul.

“Hank, I love you so much.” Connor whispered against the skin of the man's chest, before placing a kiss on the tattoo they shared.

“I love you too, Con. And I'm going to show it to you.”

Hank went down on Connor's body, worshipping every bit of it, slowly. Connor was new to this and Hank wasn't going to rush it. He was going to make it so special it would be seared in Connor's mind forever. The brunette argued that he wanted to make Hank feel good too, but the older man dismissed that, saying that there would be time for that.

Neither closed their eyes. Each thrust elicited different reactions from both and neither wanted to miss them, so their gazes were focused on one another. Connor showed a lot of restraint and Hank found that adorable because he saw how much he struggled not to let go and moan loud. Except when climax claimed them. No amount of restraint was enough then. Connor buried his face in Hank's neck and moaned against his skin, his body shaking in Hank's arms.

“Oh, Hank... Oh, fuck... It's... Hm...” That was the only time he allowed himself to close his eyes and relax completely.

Hank was spent as well, gasping for air. He pulled Connor towards him and the brunette laid his Hank's chest, hearing his erratic heartbeat. They remained still and quiet for a while, just enjoying each other's company. The older man caressed Connor's hair gently while staring at the ceiling, absentmindedly. Connor caressed his chest.

“How did I get so lucky?” Hank asked out of nowhere.

Connor chuckled and looked up at him.

"I could ask the same thing. You're everything I hoped my soulmate to be." 

"So you'll never leave me?" 

Connor kissed Hank passionately and then looked him in the eye.

"I could never."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> If you want to tell me your thoughts on this, don't hesitate and leave a comment. Kudos are also very much appreciated.  
> I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistake you may have found. There was a part I was retouching and had a bit of trouble with it cause tonight I can't English or even Portuguese, apparently.  
> See you in the next one.
> 
> Find me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/the_what_now/)


End file.
